


Love Lost

by redeem147



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-04
Updated: 2011-08-04
Packaged: 2017-10-22 05:03:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/234088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redeem147/pseuds/redeem147
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Helpless. Why Buffy feels she can never love again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love Lost

“Was that true, Buffy?” Willow sat on the edge of her friend’s bed. “What you said about never loving anything more than Angel. Was that true?”

 

Buffy looked up at her friend, the pain evident on her face. “I said it, didn’t I?”

 

“Buffy.” Willow’s voice was soft as she lay her hand on the young blonde’s. “I love Tara with all my heart. But to think I could never love anyone again...”

 

“I had a phone call last summer, Will. While you were, you know.” Buffy sat up on the bed, her back propped up with pillows. “It was from some girl, who said her name was Fred. That she worked with Angel. She’d found my address in his office.”

 

“Oh, my God.” Willow was pale. “Something happened to Angel? You never said.”

 

“Yeah, I guess something happened. A lot of somethings.” Buffy’s face lacked expression. She could have been reciting a shopping list. “At first I didn’t believe her, but then I remembered Angel mentioned picking up a new girl, when we met. After I...came back. I think he said her name was Fred.

 

“Anyway, she wanted to know if I’d seen Angel. Heard from him. By then he’d been gone for weeks. For a minute I wondered if something was taking vampires, maybe from the order of Aurelius. Because Spike was gone, too. But then, he’d told Clem he was leaving.

 

“Fred told me that they were all frantic. Angel had been gone for weeks. She and her boyfriend were looking after his son.”

 

“What?” Willow interrupted. “What son? Angel doesn’t have a son.”

 

“Yeah, well,” Buffy sighed, “Funny story. My darling Angel had sex with Darla, which is another long story, her being dead and all, and they had miracle boy. Who is now a teenager or something. There’s more, if you want to hear it.”

 

Willow nodded in encouragement. “Oh, I want.”

 

“Fred was also upset because Cordy was missing too. You see, at first she thought Angel and Cordy were somewhere together. Fred said it was very romantic. She thought that Angel was finally going to tell Cordelia how much he loved her. She said they’re a lovely couple.”

 

“Cordy?” Willow asked. “Ouch. Wait a minute. They ran off together?”

 

Buffy shook her head. “Nope. Fred was sure they wouldn’t, not without saying goodbye. And not for this long. Anyway, I got a call from her again a few weeks ago. Angel’s back. Cordy’s still missing.”

 

“What happened?”

 

Buffy shrugged. “She didn’t say. And I haven’t heard from Angel in a year. Not since we met.”

 

Willow took Buffy in her arms and held her close. “I’m so sorry. How awful.”

 

Buffy was stiff in her arms. “Now you know. Why I won’t love anything more than I did Angel. It hurts too damn much.”

 

Willow pulled back. “Buffy, listen to me. You have your whole life ahead of you. So Angel's moved on.” Her jaw was set. “Tara is dead.”

 

“And look what you did. You couldn’t handle the pain. Why should I?”

 

Hurt passed over Willow’s face. “I’ll give you a few reasons. Because you’re the Slayer. Because of Dawn. Because you’re only twenty-one years old. And yes, I know you may never see twenty-two. But that’s all the more reason. Let yourself love.” She pulled Buffy’s head against her chest. “Oh, baby. Let yourself love.”


End file.
